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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. craft — boats
  3. stock — shares
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ball — a dance
  6. last — finally
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. craft — a skill
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. last — to go on
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. last — final
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stock — goods
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com